5 things that will butcher your site

Your website’s success is unpredictable. But you know without a doubt, you cannot set it up once and expect it to perform and be appealing to users for the rest of its lifespan. You need to update its look, create content, and even adjust the structure to offer an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use site for your users. If there is any delay or complication, you could lose a sale or perhaps a signup. There are so many ways that the quality of your site could be holding your entire business back, so to make sure your investment is working for you, here are some easy fixes to get Google on your side.

Here are the 5 mistakes that you are likely doing right now that will butcher your website and your future success:

You will want to use tools like Google Analytics to determine exactly where the key problem areas are. If you have a high bounce rate (meaning a large percentage of visitors click on your page once and then leave) then you know you need to boost your aesthetic and make it more enticing to engage with. If, on the other hand activity is solid right up until checkout, then you know there is an issue somewhere with making payments. You need to optimize your site for both these users and for search algorithms alike because both are needed to keep your website healthy and active.

#1 – If your website’s performance is horrifying

If your website is not fast, secure, or easy to use, you are making several mistakes that will cost you. Not only can they detract from the user’s experience but Google and other search engines will also penalize you for them. That is why you need to go through and audit your site regularly to ensure quality at every turn. If you haven’t done this in a while, start first by clearing up your pages. You should not have any old or outdated pages left. Clear up your site and make it easy to use. Ensure there are no broken links and have your friends and family go through it. If there are any hiccups in the structure you must fix it. User friendliness is a key component to your success.

An old website can kill your success and destroy your reputation. Always be willing to revamp it and to change how it looks to keep up with modern trends. Search algorithms don’t like old websites, and users don’t like old websites. Old means outdated and unsecure, so update and revamp your site immediately if it does not match the quality of popular modern sites.

#2 – You can’t remember the last time you made an update

Google and users alike need to have new content in order to keep coming back. It is for this reason that you will see even big E-Commerce stores with a blog. By having a variety of different content updated regularly you can show both users and Google that your site is valuable and active. When there are nearly 2 billion websites out there in the world and only about 172 million of those are active, this is a critical characteristic that you cannot bear to ignore. By creating new and engaging content regularly and by updating your fixed content like homepage and about information, you can keep your site alive and thriving.

#3 – You don’t monitor activity on your site

Just because you have gone through and audited your site’s performance, does not mean you have identified every problem. You need to monitor your site’s performance at every turn and keep track of how users are engaging with your site. If you site is set up for delivering information or watching video content, you should monitoring how long a user is on your site. You want them to stay on your web pages for as long as possible. The longer they stay, the more they are engaged. If your site is built for quick transactions or sign-ups then your site should be optimized with a heavy emphasis on simplicity and conversion. Try to figure out how you can improve your site to get the engagement you want. If you don’t, your website will not meet the goals you want.

Google is the world’s most visited website followed by Youtube and Facebook.

#4 – You haven’t done a proper website audit

Auditing is important for so many reasons. Outside of function and performance, it is necessary to clear your site of any old and outdated SEO tactics that could be holding you back. Keyword stuffing, duplicated content, and other black hat SEO techniques could be holding you back without you even realizing it. Feel free to ask us if you require a free site audit.

#5. You Have Not Optimized it for Search Engines

Every time you create new content that content needs to be optimized for today’s current SEO environment. Doing so will boost the visibility of the content you produce and that of your site itself. A great example of this includes adding internal links to previous posts you have created.

More post will be coming soon on different tactics for delivering the most attention to your brand so please check back soon and often.